The Will and the Word
The following as an extract taken from a first year textbook for the College of Telinor which, among many other things, examines the laws of magic. This chapter below is intended to make students aware of certain aspects of magic and the curious nature of its interactions with the creatures and peoples of Tolas. It was written by the contributor N'een the Outward, a wizard of theoretical magic. The Will One of the first spells that any student of the artes learns is the ability to manipulate objects from a distances, commonly known as mage hand (see page 531 for diagrams). A popular spell that has come in handy for those just beginning their studies and those regarded as masters of the craft. However, the spell is still bound by the limitations of magic, seemingly arbitrary rules that prevent one from using the invisible hand from manipulating certain objects and performing specific tasks which the spell will simple fail to enact. '' ''An experiment I have long carried out in my classrooms is to have students attempt to move an object, usually a stained yava tea cup, whilst my finger was upon it. All inevitably fail as the nature of the spell prevents the caster from manipulating an object that is attended by an entity. But what is happening here? I asked my studies to try and figure it out with some repeating the experiment themselves (possibly to prove that there was no counter magic on my part though I hope that they trust me enough at my word at this point) and others attempting to move objects with someone standing adjacent to it audibly declaring that the object was under their attention or declaring it mentally. The results were that the definition of 'attended' requires one to be either manipulating the object or capable at that very moment of manipulating the object, this included surprisingly enough the use of the very spell itself, meaning whilst one was manipulating an object through the mage hand spell, a third party will be unable to do the same to the object. Even more curious was what one colleague of mine described as a combining of efforts to move an object to move beyond the weight limits of the mage hand spell to pick up a larger object. I have been unable to replicate the results to the same, my theory being that unless one shares the exact same objectives, motivation and mindset for the spell as the other party it will not work. The creation of a mage hands spell would perhaps make such experimentation obsolete but for now it is a strange thing to consider. I call this phenomenon 'the will', a force that goes beyond magic and seems to be a part of the very world's fabric. This force is capable of being expressed by the grandest wizard and the novice, the grand king and the humble peasant. Further study of this force is clearly required though it is a task for a younger generation and is beyond the limits of this short book, for now it is important that students are aware of this factor in their spellcasting hopefully so they will take up the investigation themselves or at least lend it a thought as they retrieve a book from a top shelf. The Word And now a short introduction to the matter of components in spells. Two core aspects to spellcasting, the use of the verbal and the somatic are common to most spells that are taught to students in the college, often accompanied by a specific material component. This aspect to spellcasting has been one of my life's greatest concerns. There are so many questions that emerge from this; why is it words that we must speak? Why does Aureon or whatever other force supplies the energy for the arcane need to hear these phrases specifically? Why do sorcerers and those able to cast spells without one or more of these components exist when the rest of us have focused nearly our entire lives on spellbooks with codified and heavily researched patterns of movement and wording? We may never know the answer to these questions but for now I hope that I have made you at least aware of some of the issues that theoretical wizards such as myself have to deal with. Category:In-World Concepts Category:Magic